DMT drug lab busted at Elyria apartment

By Morning Journal Staff

Thursday, March 28, 2013

ELYRIA -- Police arrested three Elyria residents after discovering what might be the first active DMT lab ever discovered in Ohio on March 22. The lab was being run in a utility room of an apartment at 228 Washington Ave.

Anderson Rush, 22, Benjamin Harvitt, 27, and Amura McFadian, 21, were indicted by the grand jury on charges of illegal manufacturing of a controlled substance, illegal possession of chemicals for manufacturer and illegal possession of the drug DMT. Additionally, McFadian was charged with endangering children, as her 7-month-old child was at the apartment.

Officers seized 50 grams of solid DMT and 60 milliliters of liquid, which has a street value of $6,800 for the solids alone, Lorain County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Detective Olen Martin said.

Officers were investigating a separate case and interviewing Rush when the lab was discovered in his utility room. Martin noticed tubes on the ground and investigated. When he discovered the lab, he evacuated the apartment and the entire building.

According to Martin, six of the eight samples that the narcotics bureau drew from the lab came back positive. Those samples came in varying forms.

According to Martin, DMT is not a very popular drug within the United States. He mentioned that there are definitely pockets of use within the United States, but it is much more popular in Europe.

"This is the first DMT lab in the state as far as we can tell," Martin said. "I put out feelers through the State Narcotics Officers Association and nobody replied. No one has seen it in Ohio."